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Owner description: SIBU Sanctuary is located in Santa Marta - 3.3 miles from the north entrance to Playas de Nosara and 15 + minutes from Playa Guiones. We are a 50 acre jungle garden reserve, surrounded by thousands of acres of jungle and located between the Rio Nosara and Rio Montana. We are a care / rehabilitation and Step Down Release Center for the area's injured and orphaned wildlife, returning them back into the wild. Those who cannot be released, receive life term care. Please note that we are NOT a petting zoo. These animals are all slated to be returned back into the wild. No interaction is allowed. Our facilities include a non-primate / quarantine habitat, two 70ft.X75ft habitats, three stories tall encompassing trees, with movable walls to adapt to any enclosure requirement and a new 2 1/2 story tall, Step Out Habitat with movable walls.. . We offer Up Close and Personal Educational visits by ADVANCE RESERVATION only.We cater to adults who wish to know more about the plight of Costa Rica's arboreal wildlife with the effect of man's encroachment into their habitat. Children are welcome but must be supervised and at least 5 years old. Visit our web site to learn more about our Educational Visits, participate in our Adopt-A-Monkey Program, inquire about becoming a volunteer or find out how you can make a difference by making a 501(C)3 donation. Thank you all so very much!

If you care about Costa Rica's wildlife and enjoy a tour "off the beaten track", come to visit the Sibu Sanctuary. Just the premises alone are breathtaking and showcase the beautiful Costa Rican forest and landscape. Steve and Vicky will give you an amazing tour full of details about the premises, nature and the animals. The best part is the tour of the actual Sanctuary, though. You will meet Tobi, Ben and Jerry and all the other orphans who were rescued and rehabilitated by Steve and Vicky. All of these animals were traumatized by their experience with unprotected electrical power lines and the accounts of their circumstances deeply saddened me. It is heartwarming to see how everybody at Sibu cares for the animals and the mutual love can be felt when you join in and let yourself be greeted, touched, cuddled, nibbled at and sometimes peed on by these gentle creatures. ;-) I loved every moment of the physical interaction with these animals and was very impressed with the actual sanctuary "amenities". So much so that I am now trying to find some sponsors to support Steve and Vicky's great work! Although the tour is supposed to last between 1.5 and 2 hours, we stayed for more than 3, which shows the dedication of the Sibu team. Enjoy the tour and give generously! Thanks again guys for a wonderful experience, I will be back in December!

Visited August 2012

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Experience first hand the heartbreaking, selfless and passionate work that Steve and Vicki Coan have committed themselves to. Upon entering the gates of the rescue, you have no idea you are about to have a life changing experience. If you love animals and/or still have a little bit of hope for mankind.... arrange a visit and give a donation. I promise after your visit you will be thinking of ways of how to drop everything, pack up and move to Nosara. Or at least start with donating, or contacting anyone with the means or funds to donate to a fantastic non profit cause. Do it because you are a lover of the animal kingdom, or you just need to see that love and selflessness still does exist in mankind. They do not get government funding and rely solely on donations. If you do one thing in Nosara, make sure you visit Nosara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Visited July 2012

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allisonwear

Los Angeles, California

1 review

“Incredible!”

Reviewed August 19, 2012

We emailed to arrange a visit after reading about the rescue here on trip advisor. Vicki and Steve were quick in getting back to us and were able to fit us in even with short notice! The rescue was such an experience.....the work and passion these two have put into saving wildlife is truly commendable. And getting to see and hold the monkeys up close? This was indeed a once in a lifetime experience. Like so many others have said...this was also the highlight of our trip!

Visited August 2012

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Cormace1

San Francisco, California

1 review

1 helpful vote

“An unforgettable experience”

Reviewed August 4, 2012

There are lots of places to see monkeys in Costa Rica, but this is a place where your donation actually makes a difference. Vicki and Steve are great people doing great work and the monkeys are obviously adorable beyond belief. Highly recommended.

Visited August 2012

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R B, Owner at Nosara Wildlife Sanctuary at Sibu, responded to this review,
November 26, 2014

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Sibu Sanctuary. Your review has been posted to the Refuge for Wildlife incorrectly. We have requested TripAdvisor relocate it to the correct listing

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Thank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Danthescienceman

Sacramento, California

Level Contributor

4 reviews

1 helpful vote

“SIBU Sanctuary, Nosara, Costa Rica”

Reviewed July 8, 2012

We certainly were hopeful about our pending visit to this wildlife sanctuary run by Vicki and Steve, but except for the drive, was more than we could have expected! As mentioned, the drive was tough. After leaving the paved roads of Nicoya we entered into what could only be described as the wildest ride of our lives. We were warned about the unpaved roads, but up to this point we had not experienced them...at this level. After about an hour of seriously bumpy roads we arrived at the SIBU Sanctuary. The others had already arrived and we were greeted by Steve, who took us up to the house. Upon entering we received a drink of juice and after watching a couple of short videos we went out to visit the rescues. The visit with the howlers was so much fun! We spent a few moments allowing the monkeys to "check us out" and then we proceeded into the enclosure where we got to spend about 30 minutes with the monkeys who were in the step down program. The monkeys, each with their own name clung to us, jumped on us, sucked our fingers and welcomed us as though we were family. One in particular, a capuchin named Toby, entertained us by jumping, climbing and otherwise showing us how smart and lively he could be. After that we visited with Steve and Vicki's cats, dog and raccoon, Raquel, who can open the door with her hind foot! We also got to meet a wayward porcupine named Rusty. Vicki and Steve are living a dream of sorts but are in dire need of assistance, financial and otherwise. This is an amazing couple who are doing amazing things on behalf of howlers and other orphaned and injured animals. Even though we were late, Vicki gave us a tour of the property in order for us to see the whole picture. This trip was well worth the drive (ouch!) and the time spent traveling to and from the sanctuary.

Visited July 2012

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